The three concentric circles

 If you analyze English in its current state and age you will notice that it is divided in the circles. And what are these so-called circles you may ask? Let me explain:

When talking about such a topic we first have to go back to the status of English in our current society and world, while taking into account its usage and the roles it plays all over the world.

The theory of the three concentric circles was first proposed by Braj Kachru, a linguist and journalist from Kashmir, Asia.

1) THE INNER CIRCLE: This is the circle that consists of countries where The English Language has played a traditional and original role in. It includes the highest level of English speakers (in terms of the quality of their speech and not population). They include the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and these are native English speaking countries. They speak the Standard English Language and are few in number. This circle forms the traditional base of English Language speakers. They participate greatly in the English culture and are norm providing because most norms are provided by them. They develop these norms and influence other nations with them. English is their mother tongue or first language as it is called. Therefore, they are called L1 speakers of the language. English is their official, original, native language and has a detailed account of development in their various countries. This is why they are called 'natives'. They have more vocabulary in the English Language than any of the speakers in the other concentric circles. There is also the presence of wide varieties of English which is acceptable to the English Dictionaries, be it formal or informal languages. E.g. Oxford and Cambridge.
Although some of the countries such as New Zealand and Canada have origins from other European countries such as Spain and France respectively.
Canada was a French-speaking country since 1530 and adopted the French culture, but the British culture took over in 1545 with Education and this expanded the growth of English speakers in the country, leaving only Quebec with French speakers. This also reduced the number of French speakers so much that in 1791, the British designated the region of English speakers as Upper Canada and in 1841, the region of French speakers was called Lower Canada. So this example has made us understand that with the influence of the English Language, there could be a great revolution in the system of a nation.

2) OUTER CIRCLE: This is the second level of English speakers. They are very large in population and have a great history of the colonization process by the British. English is their official language and their second language. This is why they are called L2 speakers of the language. Examples of these countries are: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, etc. English is their language of politics, government, literature, trade, and commerce, finance, entertainment, etc. They relate very well with speakers of the Inner circle and they have a great deal of vocabulary. English Language is not only for international reasons, but they use the language in their day-to-day activities and interactions. That is why they can decide to study any professional course of their choice in any institution located in countries from the Inner circle.
There is the presence of wide varieties of English, but if it is formed by them, it may not be included or acceptable to the English dictionaries; rather, it would be either acceptable within the locale of the country or used informally. The cultures practiced in these countries are independent of the English culture, but they are norm developing, meaning they are still in the process of development.



3) THE EXPANDING CIRCLE: These speakers include much of the rest of the world. They are very large in population but do not speak English in their daily interactions. English is not their language, nor is it used generally within the country. This language also has no historical development in these countries. They also have no history in the colonization by English speaking countries in the Inner circle; this does not mean that they do not value the language by any means. Speakers in this circle include citizens of countries like China, Russia, Japan, Korea, Brazil, some parts of Europe, and much of the rest of the world. Their population is vast, and despite this, the English language still survives in these areas. They learn English as a Foreign Language or a third or fourth language due to the need for international affairs. English is learned in schools or at home by teachers and using the basic tools for studying English, respectively. These tools include Translation Dictionaries and web translators. They are norm dependent because they rely on the standards set by the native speakers in the Inner circle.

Francisco Martins

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